APPAREIL DE CULTURE DE GERMES DE SOJA

APPARATUS FOR GROWING BEANSPROUTS

Abrégé français

Appareil de culture de germes de soja comprenant une pluralité de récipients (1, 2) destinés à faire pousser les germes, ces récipients étant montés verticalement l'un au-dessus de l'autre et placés au-dessus d'un réservoir d'eau (4). Ces récipients comprennent des plateaux mobiles (9, 10) servant à stabiliser le lit de germination, et des bases mobiles (5, 6, 7, 8) situées au fond de chaque récipient, ceci permettant à la base mobile de passer d'une position de fermeture du fond à une position d'ouverture du fond pour permettre aux pousses germées dans le récipient de tomber dans le réservoir; ce dernier comprenant un dispositif qui envoie les pousses que le réservoir a reçu par son extrémité associée aux récipients, dans l'autre extrémité de ladite cuve.

Abrégé anglais

An apparatus for growing beansprouts, comprising a
plurality of containers (1, 2) for growing the sprouts therein
mounted vertically one above the other extended above one
end of a water tank (4) whereby the containers comprise
movable plates (9, 10) to stabilize the seed bed, and movable
bases (5, 6, 7, 8) at the bottom of each container, enabling its
movable base to move from a position of closing the bottom
to a position of opening the bottom, thereby allowing sprouts
grown within the container to fall into the tank; where the
tank having a means to convey the sprouts received from the
containers end of the tank to the other end of the tank.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An apparatus for growing beansprouts comprising; a
plurality of containers for growing the sprouts in a seed bed
therein, the containers being mounted vertically one above the
other, and being positioned above one end of a water tank; each
container including a movable top plate to stabilize the seed bed,
a movable base at the bottom of the container, and means enabling
the movable base to move from a position closing the bottom to a
position opening the bottom to allow sprouts grown within the
container to fall into the tank; and said tank including means to
convey the sprouts received from said one end of the tank to the
other end of the tank.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each movable
base comprises two sliding doors.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein each door is
perforated with holes.
4. The apparatus as claimed 3 in claim wherein the hole size
is smaller than mung or soya seed size.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of the
doors is supported by wheels.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of the
doors has handle means attached thereto.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the movable
plate is perforated with holes.
8. The apparatus as claimed 7 in claim wherein the hole size
is smaller than mung or soya seed size.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 where the movable
plate has handle means attached thereto.
l0. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means to
convey the sprouts comprises water jets in the water tank located
below the containers.

Description

WO 95/27391 2 1 8 4 9 0 3 PCT~AUg5100196
Apparatus for growing ~ JlUUI~
This invention relates in i41~/LUV~ ts ûf growing mung and
soya bean sprouts and in the transportation from the
growing room to the processing area in a highly efficient
way .
The lack in good designed mung and soya sprouts growing
. system not only results in poor quality and low yields in
produce but also increases the labour and space cost.
There have been some proposals being invented to cultivate
seeds such as alfalfas and some vegetables effectively but
it has proven non-effective to the cultivation of mung and
10, soya sprouts.This is due to the difference in requirements
to grow and in the aims to achieve.
The disadvantaRe of mung and soya sprouts cultivated by
these proposed systems produces a green coloured, small
sized and low yielded sprouts. These are an effect of the
1~. proposed common growth designs which allow the light to
effect the growth, sprays water to wet the seeds,
cultivation of thin layered sprouts, sloped water drainage
setting and ample air circulation problems.
Another disadvantage is the increased labour cost due to
20. the common structure design of multistacked containers,
trays, multipallets and the fixed bottom walls of the
containers, trays and pallets.
This design results in multiple times to lay the seeds,
stackup and unstack containers, movement of trays and
2~. pallets in and out from the cabinet and growing room.
After the growth of sprouts there are multiple times of
cleaning each of the containers, tray, and pallet for re-
use .
:jU~ SH~ET (Rul~

Wo 95/27391 2 1 8 4 q 0 3 PC~/~U9S/00196
(2)
Furthermore it increases the cost of space due to the high
density cultivation requirement of mung and soya sprouts
where the previous proposed designs are for low density
cultivation only which means a larger space area is
. required to meet the same production output than this
present proposal
These problems are overcome by the present invention which
provides a super efficiency sprouts ~rowing system
specified for mung and soya beans only. This invention
10. comprises two big cultivation containers for the seeds.
filced on a metal frame above a water conveyer tank in a
fixed location inside a growing room.
In one form of this invention there consists a light
stopping material to construct the container where the
1~. sprouts will not be affected by light to make it a green
colour, but of a white colour. The size of the open top
container are of equal width and height and is capable of
growing over 400kg of sprouts at a time.
With the open top container a designed quantity of seeds
20 . are easi ly loaded by a pump during seed loading and the
loading of irrigation water from another outlet from a
water pump during watering.
With the equal size width and height of the container a
very thick layer of seeds during cultivation would further
2~. stop any light to effect the growing seeds, which also
creates a high density moisture condition for maximum
absorption by the seeds, therefore a better sized sprout
and colour would be achieved during harvesting.
~ue to the quality of this produce of bigger sized and a
30. better colour of snowwhite, it would increase the
production weight ratio from seeds to sprouts. At the same
time it minimises the labour cost for multiple times of
laying seeds in small containers, trays and pallets,
sBr ~e 26)
. _ . .. ... .. . .

WO 95/27391 2 1 8 4 9 0 3 PCT/AUg~00196
(3)
stacking and unstacking containers, moving of trays into
the cabin or moving pal lets to the growing room of the
previous proposals.
With the level setting of containers it allows a big volume
S. of water from a fixed water outlet above the containers to
flood the growing area to create the maximum absorption
condition for the mung and soya beans growth reguirement5
to achieve the maximum growth.
With the short setting between the two containers and the
10. water conveyer tank there is a minimal circulation space,
further achieving the condition of slow absorption of high
density moisture to grow better sized sprouts.
Another formation of this container is the bottom wall is
not a fixed wall but a releaseable wall. When it is
15. closed it forms the bottom wall to support the weight of
the seeds or sprouts during growing and also supports the
weight of water during watering time. When it is released
it forms an open space at the harvesting time allowinll the
sprouts to fall down to the water conveyer tank as the
20. first stage in transporting the sprouts.
With the perforated holes smaller then seed size in the
releaseable bottom wall in no designated location it forms
the passage to drain the water from the top container to
the bottom container, then drains out through the water
25. conveyer tank during watering time.
There is a full size plate with holes smaller then seed
size covering the top of the seed bed to assist the even
growth and the stabilising condition of seeds during
waterin~ times, and also to reduce the light on the seed
30. bed during opening and closing of the growing room door.
The plate also reduces the rate of moisture evaporation
from the sprouts further creating a better growing
condition means a ~uarantee of the quality of produce.
~U~lllUlh SEIEET (Rule 26~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . .

Wo 95/27391 2 1 8 4 9 0 3 Pcr/Auss/00l96
(4)
In another form of this invention there is a water conveyer
tank situated under the two containers that form a poo~ of
water extending to the outside of the growing room for the
retrieval of the sprouts. This is essential to this
5. invention.
At the location under the containers, water pressure jets
are mounted on the water conveyer tanks side walls in the
direction whereby the sprouts would be propelled outside of
the growing room.
10. The water pressure jets would of course be connected by
p i pe wo rk t o an e l ec t r i ca 1 pump .
(May not be seen in drawing~ When the water conveyer tank
is filled with water and the pressure jets are activated by
the pump, water movement is created towards the other end
lS. of the tank. The transportation of the sprouts from the
location under the containers to the outside of the growing
room is accomplished when the sprouts are dropped into the
water conveyer tank and are carried by the water movement.
The sprouts are then picked up by a conveyer belt and
20. transported to the processing area.
The end result of this applied system is the further
minimising in the cost of labour, preventing the
necessities to unstack the containers and the moving of
trays from the cabinet or moving the pallets from the
2~. growing room for the harvesting of sprouts as of previous
proposals .
As you can see, a very limited requirement of space is
required of this invention to achieve a large quantity of
p rodu c e ou t pu t .
30. This invention further maximises the usage of space per
production ratio compared to the previous proposals
requiring so much air space between the setting of the
~U~ llY S~EET~e2~

wo 95/27391 2 1 8 4 9 0 3 PCT/AUg5100196
(5),
containers. traYs and pallets and the space requirement of
each individual container, trays and pallets to produce a
low ratio of sprouts, but requiring a greater area of
S. æpace.
Refe}ring to FIG. 1 it can be seen that the super
efficiency sprouts growing system according to this
invention complies two open top cultivation containers 1,2
mounted on and supported by a metal frame 3 standing on the
lO. ground above an open top water conveyer tank 4 inside a
growing room. The cultivation containers 1,2 now and
hereafter are described as container, the water conveyer
tank 4 as a tank and the releaseable bottom wall described
as doors where two doors comply a bottom wall.
15. At the time of seed loading into the container there is a
seed loading outlet above the container l connected to a
pipe work and a electrical flow pump to a bucket capable of
holding a bag of 50kg seed outside the growing room. (May
not be seen in the drawing)
20 . At f irst the top container 1 doors 5, 6 are open and the
lower container 2 doors 7, 8 are closed .
When the electrical flow pump for the seeds is switched on,
within minutes a full bucket of seeds will be pumped into
the lower container 2 . The top container door 5, 6 are then
25. closed. Repeating the process the full bucket of seeds
will be loaded into the top container l.
After the seed loading process, the perforated plates 9,10
are placed on top of the seed bed in each container 1,2.
The watering time can be started accordingly.
30. During watering time the water is supplied to the watering
outlet pipe (May not be seen in drawin8) flowinf~ straight
down from above the top container l.
~UI~:~lllUl SHEET (Rule 2

WO 9~/27391 2 ~ ~ ~ " 0 ~, PCr/~9S/00196
(6)
First the water gets through the perforated plate 9 and is
then able to flood above the seed bed or sprouts bed. Then
the water is drained through the perforated door 5, 6 down
into the lower container 2 whereby the water is able to
. f lood the seed bed or sprouts bed . At the end the passa~e
of water is drained down and out through the outlet in the
t ank 4 .
After a few days cultivation the seeds are grown into
sprouts accordingly and are ready to be harvested.
10. First the lower container 2 doors 7,8 are opened. Because
of the lack in support of the weight of the sprouts it
falls down into the tank 4.
Because the tank 4 has been filled with water to a certain
level and the electrical pump turned on the moving water is
15. able to carry the sprouts from the location under the
containers 1,2 to the outside of the growing room where the
sprouts are then picked up by a conveyer belt and are
transported for further processing.
Referring to FIG.2 it can be seen that the container in the
20. way of construction and how it works according to this
invention .
There are three steel bars 11 mounted with wheels 12 on
each side fi~ed under a perforated plate 13 with handles 14
to form one door level sitting on the bottom edges 15 of
25. the container. Two of the doors are closed to form the
bottom wall to support the seeds or the plants, and the
irrigation of water and drainage during cultivation. When
the two doors are pulled open, its purpose is to empty the
sprouts relieving the door supports during harvesting.
30. Referring to FIG.3 it can also be seen of the tank in the
way of construct~on and how it works according to this
invention .
~UI~lllUl~ SEIE!;T (Rule 2t~)

WO 95127391 2 1 8 4 9 0 3 PCTIAU95100196
(7)
A plug is covered on to the drainage outlet 16 and filled
with water. Water jets 17 are connected to the manifold 18
and mounted on one side of the wall of the tank under the
containers facing in a direction spraying the sprouts to
5. the outside of the growing room.
Within the room partition wall 19 in the extent of the tank
a connected pipe work system to the pressure outlet of an
electrical water pump (may not be seen in drawing) exists.
Also there is a suction outlet connected with pipe work to
10. the water outlet 20 of the tank. When it is switched on
the water is being sucked out from the tank outlet and then
compressed out through the water jets creating a water
movement which carries the fallen sprouts moving from under
the containers location passing the room partition wall to
15. the outside of the growing room.
The sprouts are then picked up for further processing.
~UBSTlTUTE S~EET (Rule 2~)

Dessin représentatif